Fennel is an eye-catching addition to your herb garden, with delicate feathery leaves complemented by sprays of tiny yellow flowers in late summer to mid-autumn. Its perennial root stock is hardy from USDA zones 4 to 10, and its sturdy celery-like stalks will typically grow to a height of as much as 4 feet.
A sun-lover, fennel is not completely averse to some shade, and actually should be planted outdoors when the soil is cool. Sow in well-drained, medium dry soil, in rows spaced 3 feet apart, and thin the sturdiest plants to a foot apart within each row. Protect your newbies by staking them at 18 inches. As fennel cross-pollinates with dill, do not plant the two near each other.
All parts of this plant are edible. Cut the leaves once the flowers have bloomed and use them either fresh or dried in your cooking. To stimulate continued leaf growth, remove the flower heads after they bloom. Trim back the stems in autumn. Having a mild anise taste, this versatile herb is used in sausage, as a rub for pork and beef, and for flavoring seafood. The leaves are great in salads and sauces, the root and stalks can be eaten as vegetables, and the seeds enhance cookies, breads, and beverages.
Unlike so many of today’s popular herbs, fennel was not a favorite with the ancient Greeks. They called it fennel marathon, from the word maraino, whose meaning is “to grow thin.” However, it was this identifying characteristic of appetite suppression that gave it use on fasting days in medieval times.
Strong fennel tea is said to ease menstrual and menopausal symptoms, and when thickened with honey is said to help a cough. Add this rejuvenating herb to a facial steam to open the pores of the skin. And evil spirits are believed to avoid an abode when it is hung with St. John’s Wort over the door.
Fennel is altogether a most delicious, visually appealing, and historically interesting herbal addition to your garden.